Spectre: Origins
by De4thstopper
Summary: Spectre has lived a life of mystery. He barely remembers anything before his tenth birthday, and has worked for a mercenary company ever since. But when one assignment goes wrong, how will he cope without the one person who understands him most? (This story is told through a series of written audio files. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Enjoy!) Part 2 out now!
1. Chapter 01: Spectre

Company File, Blades Mercenaries Ltd

Identity Record, Codename: Spectre

(Valid at present date)

'_Those close to you are never lost, for they live on forever within your heart.'_

_..._

Birth Name: 'Unknown'

Age: 17

Preferred Combat Style: Dual Wielder

Weapon(s): _Grimm's Doom_ and _Grimm's Fall_ – Dual Gun Swords (recovery gems, laser sights, high explosive and dust rounds)

Semblance: _Void Jumping_ – ability to teleport short distances in quick succession.

Known relatives:

BM Operative Codename: Shadow (Deceased) – twin sister.

Parents unknown, no other relatives found.

Employer Statement:

Spectre is a capable fighter and strategist, especially when partnered with his sister. He is still able to complete smaller assignments alone, or larger jobs as part of a team, making him quite versatile for his age. There is clear potential in him to be among the best of operatives, but he requires more experience against humanoid opponents. Fighting Grimm Creatures is how he excels above most others, completing jobs that more experienced personnel would struggle with.

[UPDATE]: Due to the recent passing of his sister, Shadow, Spectre is granted time off to re-establish himself before returning to duties within the company. It is expected that he will return with a different mind-set, which will have an effect on his performance.


	2. Chapter 02: Shadow

Company File, Blades Mercenaries Ltd

Identity Record, Codename: Shadow

(Valid at present date)

(Deceased)

'_It only takes one spark to ignite the fires of success.'_

_..._

Birth Name: 'Unknown'

Age: 17 (at time of death)

Preferred Combat Style: Archery/Stealth

Weapon: _Death's Whisper_ – Bow (regenerating ammunition, recovery gem)

Semblance: _Shadow Blending_ – ability to use shadows and darkness as camouflage.

Known relatives:

BM Operative Codename: Spectre – twin brother.

Parents unknown, no other relatives found.

Employer statement:

Upon meeting Shadow it was clear she makes a good leader, as she always looked out for her brother Spectre. Despite being twins, it appeared that Shadow had the role of the older sibling. Her abilities make her an exceptional choice for stealth and infiltration assignments, however during combat she takes a more support based role. Like her brother, she is skilled at hunting Grimm Creatures, but still maintains good performance against humanoid opponents.

[UPDATE]: Until recently I had believed the combined abilities of the twins to be an unstoppable force. It is rare to lose operatives in the field, but sadly the incident at Grimm's Respite added another name to the wall of remembrance. A valuable member of the team – may she rest in peace.


	3. Chapter 1: Return to sender

Personal Files, Subject: Spectre

Audio Log 156

'Return to sender'

This is Spectre, reporting in… This is my first log since before Grimm's Respite. I'm still not quite sure how I feel at the moment; losing Shadow has… hit me hard. She was all I had left… We did everything together – that we could remember at least. When I came back to the Crossed Swords alone… it was the worst feeling I've ever felt. When I walked through the front door, everyone was out the front of the bar. Sickle was the first to greet me.

"Hey Spec. How'd the job go?"

I didn't respond. I just went to walk past them, to speak with the boss. I reached for the door, then:

"Where's Shadow?" Sickle asked.

At that point I'd stopped at the door and looked over my shoulder. I suppose the fact that I was carrying her equipment gave it away. I went to open my mouth, but no words came out. I wasn't sure if I could respond, but thankfully, Lyone did it for me; he always knew how we all felt, when to speak and when to shut up. Mind reading was his semblance after all. He simply gripped Sickle's shoulder and shook his head. Finally there was Neo, she rose from where she was sat to give me a hug or something, but I turned and put my hand up.

"I'm… fine", I said with effort.

She stopped. The look on her face told me she knew I was lying. They all knew.

I continued into the back room to report to the boss. He never showed his face to anyone, not even to us; whenever we saw him he always seemed to be in a spot where his face was hidden away. Nevertheless he a good guy, but a businessman at heart. I stepped up to the intercom outside his office door, but he was already expecting me.

"Come in Spectre, its open," the intercom crackled.

I did just that, closing the door behind me. I was greeted by the same darkness that was always present in that room. There I stood for a moment in awkward silence.

"Take a seat" he said, his familiar silhouette beaconing me forward.

I stepped forward but I didn't sit down - it didn't seem right to sit... I decided to get down to business:

"The job's done and the client is satisfied," I said, "He'll send 25% of his profits each month".

"Good," he said nodding to himself, "But there's more isn't there?"

This was the moment I'd spent the whole journey home trying to plan out, and yet I wasn't prepared for it.

"… Shadow didn't make it…" I told him.

He leaned back in his chair:

"I… see…"

There was a long pause before any of us responded. Finally:

"Spectre – I know how close you two were. I have never seen a greater team. You've been here a few of years now. I've seen you improve. And it's thanks to her. Your sister. She has made you who you are, and you need to make her proud."

I've always taken that comment to heart, and it inspires me to this very today. Frankly that was happiest I'd felt since leaving for Grimm's Respite three days ago.

"That said," he continued, "I think you need some time to yourself. Treat it like a leave of absence, take as long as you need."

"…Thank you, sir…" I responded.

He nodded as if to say 'you're welcome'. With that I went to leave but he stopped me:

"Oh, and one more thing," he said shuffling through his desk drawers.

He then pulled out a ticket of some kind.

"This ticket was given to us as payment for another job. It's for the White Castle Concert this weekend. Take this as a starting point."

I took the ticket and examined it thoroughly.

"Uh, thanks sir… but I don't think it's really my sort of thing…" I said.

"Few things are your sort of thing, Spectre," he replied, "but I want you to promise me you'll do this. I _really _think it could give you some perspective."

I hesitated, not really sure what I was getting myself into. Yet despite my initial thoughts, I agreed to his offer.

"Good," the boss said, "now I believe you've got some packing to do before you leave".

Well he wasn't wrong there. I bowed my head before leaving the dark, cold office. Somehow I saw the boss as somewhat of a father figure, one that had no face to recognise and paid me wages not pocket money. Shadow and I never knew any other family besides ourselves, in fact neither of us remember anything before our tenth birthday, but the events of that day are kind of personal.

With nothing else to do I started to pack my things and, well... here I am now. I'm nearly all set to go. All I've got to do now is… Sure, I'll be right there. I guess I'll have to conclude this properly next time. This is Spectre… signing off.

End recording.


	4. Chapter 2: The Break

Personal Files, Subject: Spectre

Audio Log 157

'The break begins'

Spectre here. It's been five days since I recorded my last entry and left the Crossed Swords. Before I left though, the boss called everyone to a meeting in the main room to pay our respects to Shadow – he even closed the bar early too.

I placed her things on a desk in the centre of the room – her helmet, her bow, her gauntlet…

"Would anyone like to say a few words before we continue?" the boss asked.

Sickle replied by heading into the bar. A minute later he returned with a tray of drinks:

"I propose a toast," he said lifting one of the glasses, "To the heart and soul of the team."

The boss was next.

"To a damn fine employee."

That brought a few smiles to the other's faces, but sadly not mine. Neo simply raised a glass without a word, she never did talk and I wouldn't expect her to now. Then came Lyone who said:

"To the troubled soul, now at peace."

The others seemed confused by that comment. I thought it made a lot of sense personally; she always did talk to me about her 'gift' - she had her semblance of course, the ability to blend with the shadows around her, but there was something else. Sometimes she'd go quiet or even flinch back. When I asked her about it, she would tell me that she could see random flashbacks, and sometimes they weren't even hers either - or at least they were ones that she didn't recognise…

I know it sounds strange, but we thought that she could have had not one, but _two _semblances. I'm not sure if that's even possible, but I intend to find out. That was a part of our plan. Two years back we decided that we should become ordinary kids and go to combat school. With any luck we could find out about Shadows powers too. We graduated within two months of attending the place; the headmaster claimed that we were the best fighters of our age he had ever seen. He passed us on to Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, where the best hunters and huntresses studied to defeat the Grimm Creatures. After a one to one interview he accepted us both into Beacon, and we would attend once we were the right age. But I digress…

It was my now my turn to speak and I simply replied:

"To the best sister I could ever hope for."

To that we drank. From that moment on I swore I would play my part to end the darkness. That I would graduate from Beacon and bring the fight to those monsters. I might even return to Grimm's Respite one day. Finish what we started.

We stood for a minute, in silence, remembering her, as I always will do - as I will never forget. Before I noticed, I'd been there for a long time. Everyone else had returned to their business, all but Neo. She stood looking at me with that same face from earlier at the bar. When she approached I didn't stop her this time. She wrapped her arms around me and eventually I did the same in return.

"Thanks…" I said.

She gave a sad smile in response. Whenever I needed to let something out, for someone to listen, Neo would probably end up being that someone. That was something I could depend on her for, and the cover of her umbrella.

After that I was more or less packed and ready to leave. Shadow had left all of her belongings and wages to me, so I've got enough money to sustain myself for a few years. So after saying my goodbyes, I set out into Vale City not knowing what to do next. Of course I had the White Castle Concert to go to, but there was more than enough of time to fill between then.

Now, five days later, the night of the concert is drawing closer by the hour and I'd better get ready. On that note, this is Spectre signing off.

End recording.


	5. Chapter 3: The White Castle

Personal Files, Codename: Spectre

Audio Log 158

'The White Castle'

So… here I am again. The White Castle Concert took place last night and I attended, just as promised.

As it turned out my ticket included a VIP backstage pass and private luxury seating, which I guess made it viable pay for hired mercenary. I was shown to my seat, situated high above the stage, in my own little box. The seat itself I actually found uncomfortable, despite it being luxury, but I did like the smell of freshly made beverages on call. The outcome for the evening was huge; there must have been roughly 300,000 people there. It couldn't have been easy for the performers on stage, or at least that's what I thought.

Admittedly I never have been one for fancy accommodation, so it didn't surprise me when I left my booth and wandered off to the backstage party; the doors to which were blocked by a huge crowd of excited and impatient fans. There was no way I was getting past on foot, so I used my semblance, Void-Jumping. I slipped into the void for a split second and emerged on the other side of the crowd. The people in the front of the rabble recoiled back in astonishment. The security guard stared at me uneasily – can't say I blame him, a figure in a full face helmet and black clothes with a sword slung to his back, Jumping right in my face would put me on edge too.

"Um… I'd like to get into the party please." I said holding up the VIP pass.

The guard stood there in stunned silence for a few more seconds then stepped aside and opened the door.

"Enjoy the party… Sir." he said finally.

I thanked him and walked on through. So this is what the acts do when they're not on stage, I thought. Upon entering the main room, a serving girl approached me:

"Hello Sir," she said, "Can I interest you in a drink? Non-alcoholic of course."

She indicated to a table in the corner of the room. It held drinks of various vibrant colours and smells. I settled for the orange one. I went to drink, but then it hit me, I was still wearing my helmet. You see, ever since I left the Crossed Swords I'd sworn to never remove my helmet; it was kind of like a reminder for keeping my promises to Shadow. The serving lady must have observed my predicament and said:

"Would you… like a straw with that, Sir?"

"Uh, yeah please," I said sheepishly.

She nodded and reached into her blouse pocket, pulling out a bendy straw. Ah perfect, I thought.

"Thanks," I said, nodding.

"You're welcome Sir." She replied, "Should my services be required you need only ask".

And with she was gone. Over the next couple of minutes, I struggled to find out just what to do there; the place was filled of those who seemed to be the 'upper-class'. Looking around the room, and sipping from my drink, I spotted a girl who seemed vaguely on my social status. She was on her own, sat up straight and seemed to be deep in thought. Her hair was white and tied back in an off-centre ponytail, her clothes – a dress and a bolero jacket – were both like an ice blue and white. She struck me as some sort of 'ice queen', as I was about to discover…

I opened my mouth to say hi, but she held up her hand:

"Stop. Just stop. Before you even ask, no I am not interested in you, and nothing you can do or say can change my mind."

I blinked behind my visor.

"You don't even know who I am do you?" she continued, "No, I bet you're not even supposed to be here. Let me see your pass."

In honest astonishment, I did just that. She snatched the card from my grasp.

"… Blades Mercenaries Ltd! That's where you stole this from, isn't it?"

I blinked again.

"No… I work there," I replied uneasily.

"Yeah right… Aren't you a bit young to work at a place like that? Shouldn't you still be in combat school? You even use bendy straws, what are you five?"

She gazed at the clock on the wall behind me.

"Oh, I haven't got time for this… You clearly don't fit in here; you might as just go home now. Good night."

Then she strutted off into the darkness of the stage. I just stood there, stunned for a few more seconds, then finished off my drink and made for her seat. There was a TV on the wall just under the clock, which was showing the concert live. I wasn't really paying attention, but when the name Weiss Schnee was mentioned, that girl emerged on stage. If you told me I'd meet the heir to the Schnee Dust Company, I don't think I'd have believed you.

Then I think I understood then why she was so stressed out, performing here can't have been easy. From the first word I was glued to her performance, the song itself: _Mirror, Mirror_, seemed to suit me in this case. At this point I did feel like the loneliest of all… But the way she sang it, with such meaning and passion – I couldn't help but feel that she felt the same.

My thoughts were cut short though, when I saw something else on the screen, something I'm sure that only I saw. It seemed less like a singing performance and more of a dual now, between Weiss and a… giant suit of armour. The two fought around Weiss, the real Weiss, almost as if it were in time with the song itself, like the second Weiss gained power, as the singing got stronger. When the song finished, they disappeared. Everything returned to normal. I'd never seen anything like that before – in fact it was just like how Shadow had described what she saw from time to time. I wander if… no that can't be possible.

Soon after, Weiss returned to the backstage area with an applause from the party goers to welcome her. She made a timid curtsy and sat at the table across from mine, a little less focused than the first time I saw her. I stood leaving my empty glass on the table and walked over to her. Before she could stop me a second time I said:

"You're Weiss Schnee."

She looked at me as if I was an alien.

"Yes… and your point is what, exactly?"

"My point is, I know who you are. I _am_ also supposed to be here, I made a promise in fact. Plus I _do _work for the Blades Mercs Ltd, I graduated from combat school well over a year ago, and no, I am _not_ five."

This time she was the one to blink.

"Noted," she replied, "And?"

"I think you're really good a singing."

"You're jok…"

"I'm serious. I never said I was particularly into you, so please just take the compliment."

I don't think she was sure how to respond to that, but in the end she smiled.

"Thanks," she said, "You know…"

There was a scream back towards the drinks table.

"What was that?" Weiss asked and briskly made her way in that direction. As she turned the corner I followed, but stopped before the bend and listened to the event.

"Let her go Don, the real prize is here."

The voice was weak and didn't sound all that threatening.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" I heard Weiss shout.

"Get her boys!" a different voice said, deeper this time.

There were sounds of struggle, and the girl who served me earlier ran past me with no intent on stopping; they must have been threatening her in some way.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am?" Weiss shouted.

"As a matter of fact I do, poppet. That's why we're here you see. To put a ransom on your head and make a bit of cash."

Now there was a voice I recognised, and it wasn't one I was too fond of hearing any time soon. I turned the corner.

"I think you've got one or two things to worry about first, Garrath." I said.

The gang spun round to stare at me. Only Garrath recognised me, the rest must have been new to his exploits. He had a confident smile on his face.

"Ah, the Blade's boy in black. So lovely to see you again."

"Sadly I can't say the same to you." I replied, "Now are you gonna let Miss Schnee go, or am I going to have to kick your arse again?"

Garrath laughed at that comment, getting a few snickers from of his men.

"There are a few things that you've forgotten about boy-o. For starters, the last time you had your big sister to help you, where could she be I wonder?"

I clenched my fists. Whether he knew about Shadow or not, it still pissed me off.

"And I believe you're one sword short." he sneered.

Well I had to give him that one. I still hadn't gotten around to re-forging Fall after it shattered at Grimm's Respite.

"Face it kid, you're out of your depth."

"We'll see." I replied.

After a few seconds standoff, Garrath's men drew their weapons and I gripped Doom's handle. There were three men edging closer, another holding Weiss, and Garrath behind them. I tapped my hand against the left side of my helmet; an additional armour plate clunked into place over my nose and mouth, vents hissed open in single file over the top and down the back of my helmet, and I saw the familiar white glow of my now illuminated visor, shaped like an elongated X. I was ready.

I Void-Jumped and hit the first of the front three with an underhanded slash down his right side. I Jumped again, this time slashing downwards into the second's back. The third had time to act by attempting a wide slash with his machete. I parried the blow and spun under his arm, cutting into the back of his knee as I did so, making him drop his weapon and fall to the floor. The whole thing took seconds; I could have killed them then and there, but that wouldn't do me any favours here.

Garrath was clapping patronisingly now. As some form of response, I pointed the end of my sword blade at him.

"Well done, well done," he said pulling out a hand cannon, "but the damsel is still in distress. As you can see, my associate here is willing to go the extra mile to make sure we get away with this."

That was when I noticed that the thug holding Weiss, was now ready to shove a knife in her throat. Garrath then pointed his gun at her as well.

"You've got three choices here boy, you can shoot me and the girl dies, you can shoot him and the girl dies, or you can drop your weapon and let us get away. I know which one I'd choose."

"So do I." I said.

Flicking on my sword's laser sight, I swung the blade tip round to the other man's face and pressed the trigger. Before he could even whimper, the guy took a dust round square in the face. He was scarred but not dead. Before he even hit the floor I had Jumped in, grabbed Weiss and Jumped back. We were sent colliding into a pool table around the corner; if I was any slower, Weiss would be dead to Garrath's hand gun. As a result he practically screamed in rage and ran round the corner, gun aimed right at us. But I was quicker. I ran at him and tackled him against the wall. Then I head-butted him, and ripped the gun from his hand. He recovered quickly though, and managed to push me way with this other hand. Before I could regain my balance, he slammed his fist into my stomach, completely winding me, then followed by choke-slamming me to the floor.

"What did I tell you, kid?" he panted, getting up and retrieving his gun, "You're out of your depth – and sometimes, even the best of swimmers drown."

He levelled the revolver to my chest. I had to do something I kept thinking, but my body wouldn't respond. For a moment it seemed like it was all over. But then…

"Hey, you heathen!"

We both turned our heads to see Weiss lunging forward, almost supernaturally, with a pool cue in hand. It was just like I saw during her performance. Then before we knew it, she slammed the cue into Garrath's left shoulder so hard that the cue shattered, raining splinters all over me.

It was only then that armed security burst through the doors. Bloody perfect timing fellas, I thought.

"Miss Schnee, are you OK?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes I'm fine," she replied, kneeling beside me.

They rounded up the battered thugs, and a groaning Garrath, taking them into custody. But then they came for me.

"Please step away from that man, Miss Schnee," the guard said.

"This man is my savior, sergeant," she said, helping me up, "So I would appreciate it if you do not take him in to your custody."

He hesitated before answering. Then finally:

"So long as you are sure Miss Schnee. Leave him."

The other guards backed off and continued to detain Garrath and his boys. They weren't going to be coming out of jail anytime soon. Exhausted, I retracted the vents and armour on my helmet and the visor dimmed into darkness. I've concluded that my actions were incredibly rash. If I'd just thought of a smarter, safer approach, maybe I wouldn't have relied on luck alone to save Weiss. Speaking of whom, she followed me to a table where we both sat to catch our breath.

"Are you OK?" she asked, genuinely concerned, "You took a pretty big hit there."

"I'm fine." I said.

My throat was burning, but other than that I was good.

"Thank you," she said with a smile, "I'll make sure you are paid handsomely for this."

"No need," I replied, "Besides, I'm technically on leave so…"

"Then let me arrange transport back where ever you are staying," she insisted.

"Thanks for the offer, but I prefer to walk – honestly I'm fine."

"In that case," she said, holding out her hand, "it was a pleasure to meet you…"

"Spectre," I said shaking her hand.

"Spectre…" she replied, "I will be sure to give your name to my father should we ever need your services again."

"And I'll be ready for when that day comes. Good night Miss Schnee."

With that, I left the castle and made my way back to the hotel for a well-deserved night's rest. I'll admit that I considered discussing the vision I saw on the TV, but decided against it; I needed to think on it more first.

Well this has been a very long log; sorry if I bored you all to tears. Now if you'll excuse me, I need think of what I'm going to do next. This is Spectre, signing off.

End transmission.


	6. Chapter 4: A quick update

Personal Files, Codename: Spectre

Audio Log 159

'A quick update'

Spectre, signing in. It has now been a few days since the events of the previous log, and to be frank, not a lot has happened since then. As the title suggests, I'm just recording the developments made over this time, just so I don't swamp you with information in the next log.

By the time morning came after the concert, I had pretty much recovered. I decided that the beating I took last night was one I didn't want to experience again, so I spent the day finding a forge to repair my left sword, _Grimm's Fall_. The only thing was that I needed to do it myself. Thanks to the recovery gem in its hilt, few smiths know how to repair it. There aren't many places outside of combat schools that let you use forges either. By late afternoon I'd found one though, and after some convincing and a little bartering, the smith permitted me access to his forge around the back of his shop.

The whole point of a recovery gem, is that when pairs with a convergence gem, you can pull a weapon towards you through the air, kind of like a magnet. After such a gem is fitted to a weapon, it spreads its power through the very grains in the metal. These grains need to be matched perfectly in order to repair a blade, otherwise you damage it further. It's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle come to think of it. That's where I come in. I raised my hand, using the convergence gem fitted into my gauntlet to make the sword pieces levitate into the air, then match together perfectly. I then pushed my hand forward, moving the blade into the heat of the forge. Within minutes _Fall_ was as good as new - even the moving parts responded well.

My sister and I both used gems like these; I have one in my right gauntlet for a sword, Shadow had one in her left for her bow. Seeing as she won't need her left gauntlet anymore, and I can't use a bow for my life, I re-paired her convergence gem to _Fall's_ recovery gem. After all she would rather I use the gauntlet, not let it gather dust on a mantel piece or something…

Over the next two days, I've been meditating in my hotel room. For those who don't know, meditating allows one to collect their thoughts. It can also be used to rest, like sleeping, except it offers twice as much rejuvenation. Basically you can go with four hours of meditation, and it would work out as eight hours of sleep. You also remain conscious so you can still be aware of the things going on around you. Sometimes I can even sense events that are going on in the present, but research shows that these are generally random and are normal to anyone who meditates. Depending on the person, it can take from a month to tens of years to master meditation; I learned it in five months, my sister took eight, which is pretty quick, but it's not record breaking or anything.

So, during this time I tried to reflect on the past week and come up with what to do next. Sadly I've got nothing so far. I might try one more time then consider resting up; it's two in the morning right now so I'd better think about taking a break soon. Any ways, this is Spectre signing off and I hope to record something more interesting next time round.

End Recording.


	7. Chapter 5: An unexpected evening

Personal Files, Codename: Spectre

Audio Log 160

'An unexpected evening'

Seeing as this is my 160th log, I guess I don't need to tell you who is speaking right now. It of course me, Sickle! The living pincushion and sharpest of the Blades… No? Okay it's actually me, Spectre. I just thought I'd try a joke, not my sort of thing I know but… You know what, I'll just work on it – or never do it again… (sigh) Let's try this again...

Restart Recording.

Spectre here. This is my 160th audio log; it almost seems like I should have some sort of celebration or something. Sadly I don't plan one, but this log does, as the title may suggest, cover some interesting events.

After my unfruitful efforts to seek enlightenment through meditation, I decided to wonder the streets of Vale at night until something caught my attention. One thing that did draw the eye was myself. Word had spread about my doings at the White Castle a few nights before, and people had come to recognise me. As a result, I have donned my black hood and half-cape while in public areas, at least until things had calmed down.

The main streets didn't quench my appetite for adventure, so I wandered into the darker side streets of the city. I reached a night club that didn't spark my interests, but when I went to pass it, a vision popped into my head. I saw a girl, her hair was long and blonde; she couldn't have been any younger than I am. Various images flashed by, showing the girl fighting numerous people in what seemed to be some sort of club with a dance floor in the centre. The vision couldn't have been more than a few seconds. This, along with the other flashbacks I had experienced in the White Castle and during meditation, gave me reason to believe that something was indeed going on, that something did happen at Grim's Respite – but I can't look into it any further until I get to Beacon. It's all just speculation right now.

I turned and made my way to the doors where a bouncer stood ever vigilant. He was well built and very tall, almost twice my height in fact. I stopped a metre away from the open door and glanced at the bouncer to check I was good to go in. He nodded, but as I moved he gripped my shoulder and said:

"Any funny business, and you're as good as dead."

I nodded in response and walked through the doors. I was lead into a dark corridor which only seemed to lead to a dead end, but as I got closer, the wall opened and the bright lights and music hit me like a truck. This was indeed the club I'd seen a couple of minutes ago, but scanning the room I didn't see the blonde girl. Not having drunk anything since leaving the hotel, I decided the bar was a good place to start. I sat one seat away from a man in a shirt, trousers and a waistcoat, he also had two girls to his left, both with black hair, one in white and the other in red. They were probably twins.

The barman looked at me expectedly.

"I'll have… the orange one," I said pointing out a bottle in one of the shelves behind him, "Oh and I'll have a bendy straw with that too, please."

"Coming right up," he replied.

I rustled around in my pockets for money to pay, but the man to my left stopped me.

"No need for that," he said, "the first drink is free. Welcome to Junior's Night Club."

I placed my hands on the bar.

"You seem to be in charge in some way; you wouldn't happen to be Junior would you?"

He grunted.

"How'd you guess?" he Junior asked.

I hesitated.

"I'd say the way you're dressed, the girls at your side… and the men keeping an eye on you don't happen to be yours by any chance are they?"

"Damn… nice eyes kid," he said smiling, "speaking of which, I like to speak to people's faces, not wise ass kids in hoods."

Tough luck mate, I thought. I lifted back my hood, only to reveal my helmet underneath.

"Really?" Junior asked, dumbfounded, "OK, forget I asked…"

I waited a moment before talking.

"Say, aren't you a little old to be called Junior?" I asked.

He looked at me, clearly irritated; I'd imagine he got asked that all the time.

"Forget I asked," I replied raising my hands in mock surrender.

That was when I realised my drink had appeared in front of me, the bendy straw hanging out just as asked. I took a sip of the drink and returned to the conversation, only my new 'friend' had already started talking to someone else. He had a white over coat, a black bowler hat and long orange hair – plus he carried some sort of cane. I recognised him at once: Roman Torchwick. From what I've been told he is a wanted criminal mastermind, charged with various accounts of theft, the bulk of which recently being dust. I wasn't totally sure, but Torchwick and Junior seemed to be exchanging money for whatever reason. I could have tried confronting Torchwick to bring him in, but with the amount of man power present, the odds weren't with me. I'd just have to wait until another day.

From then I had turned away from the bar and looked out onto the dance floor, leaning back against the bar. Then in the corner of my eye, the wall I had entered from parted again. I suppose you can guess who walked through into the room; it was in fact the blonde girl. Like me, she looked out into the room before descending the steps and moving to the bar, taking the spot on my left. By this point Torchwick had already left, his business done.

At a small notion from Junior, the twins walked off.

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Oh and one of those little umbrellas," the girl said to the barman.

"Aren't you little young to be in this club, Blondie?" Junior asked.

She giggled.

"Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?" she replied.

I chuckled to myself; Junior pretended not to notice.

"So you know who I am. You got a name, sweetheart?"

"Yes Junior, I have several. But instead of sweetheart, you can call me sir!"

And before you could say 'kahoonas' she quite literally had Junior by the balls. I nearly choked on my drink – I still don't know whether I found the audial incredibly funny or excruciatingly painful to watch.

"People say you know everything," the girl continued, her tone had completely changed now. She pulled out a data pad and showed it to Junior, "Tell me where I can find her, and I'll let you go."

"I've never seen her before, I swear!" Junior whimpered.

"Excuse me?"

The girl tightened her grip.

"I swear, Sir!"

A large group of Junior's henchmen had gathered at the bar now.

"Looks like we have an audience. This must be kinda embarrassing for you, huh? Awkward!"

"Listen, Blondie, Sir! If you want to make it out of this club alive, I suggest you let me go – now!"

She did just that and Junior gasped in relief.

"You'll pay for that," he said putting on a pair of red tinted sunglasses and walking off on to the dance floor.

Somehow I doubt that, I thought. The girl followed, the henchmen not far behind.

"Oh Junior, I was just playing with you," the girl said, suddenly playful again, "Don't be so sensitive! Come on, let's kiss and makeup, OK?"

Junior turned around.

"Huh?"

The girl indicated that she was serious.

"Uh, OK," Junior replied.

The next thing I knew, Junior had been sent hurtling straight through a glass pillar, shattering it into a rain of shards. The crowd dissipated, screaming and running for the exits. Then the girl's bracelets folded out into full armour gauntlets, which seemed to double act as a pair of dust weapons. The henchmen surrounding her charged, but at the last second she leaped up in the air and pounded the ground. The entire club shook under the shockwave; the henchmen were blown back to the edges of the dance floor, landing in a heap. Then she struck, taking out each henchman at a time. The way she fought; she fired her gauntlets to push her fist backwards for quicker strike, whilst adding extra power to each punch; I'd never seen anything like it. By the time she'd finished, the teddy bear DJ had pulled out a submachine gun and sent a hail of bullets in her direction. She dodged them, and used her gauntlets to propel herself up to the decks. Then, well let's just say a few seconds more, and papa bear wasn't standing anymore.

Next the twins turned up:

"Melanie, who is this girl?" the girl in red asked.

"I dunno Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson," the girl in white replied.

But that wasn't it. The bouncer from the front door came in behind the twins and caught his fist, clicking his neck as he did so. The blonde girl grunted and reloaded her gauntlets. Deciding that I'd sat on the side-lines for long enough, I put my drink down on the now almost wrecked bar and Void-Jumped on to the dance floor. My swords now drawn, I said:

"Now I don't know about you guys, but I don't think three verses one is exactly fair."

The twins glanced at each other, but the bouncer answered for them.

"Fine. You're mine you little runt," he said stepping forward.

I guess that was a valid comment, judging by his size. Then we struck, almost in unison. Blondie leaped forward throwing explosive dust rounds at the twins, and I Jumped, grabbed the man and dropped him from mid-air. He hit the ground hard but recovered quickly, and was soon throwing punches my way. Moving around his fists, I sliced into his right thigh and again into the back of his left leg. That kept him still at least long enough for what came next. I Jumped to one of the standing glass pillars, and back ejected. The result was a backflip over the bouncer, where I all but emptied my dust rounds in his direction. Once he caught on to what I was doing, he covered his face with his arms. When I landed I slashed at his arms, forcing him to lift his block. I then spun and hit him in the head with the pummel of my _Grimm's Doom_, knocking him out and cutting off his cry of pain.

As if by perfect timing, Blondie had finished off her opponents too. I joined her in the centre of the room and the lights flickered into near darkness. A spotlight then pointed out Junior emerging from one of the upper tiers, a missile launcher in hand.

"You're gonna pay for this," he said.

He fired a salvo of rockets. We dodged them. He fired again, this time at Blondie, but she blew them up before they got too close. Junior's launcher turned into a baseball bat and using the smoke for cover, he struck Blonde multiple times knocking her into the bar. Giving her a chance to recover, I shot my last dust round into Junior's shoulder. He grimaced and retaliated by firing another salvo at me, but it was too close to dodge in time. The full force of the missiles flung me backwards, where I tumbled and landed on my front. Fighting to get back up again, I realised that my effort to buy time had worked, as Blondie was already hitting Junior harder than before. It seemed that in the struggle, not only had Junior managed to get his bat broken, but he also snagged some of Blondie's hair. Boy was she mad. She responded with a megaton punch that sent Junior through a window and hurtling into the streets below.

After that she went after him, probably to make sure she'd done a good job. Meanwhile, I had returned to the one part of the bar that still recognisable and finished off my drink. Then upon walking to the window I heard a new voice:

"Yang? Is that you?"

"Oh, hey sis!" I heard Blondie say.

"What are you doing here?"

Blondie sighed.

"It's a long story."

That's when I decided to join them, dropping down into the street below. The other girl looked younger than Blondie and I. She had short black hair with red highlights, and wore a black battle skirt with a red hooded cloak. The most distinctive of her features though, were her silver eyes; those are not common at all.

"And who's this?" the new girl asked looking in my direction.

Blondie turned to look at me then smiled.

"Oh, this guy helped me out," Blondie said, "Thanks for that by the way."

"No problem," I replied, "Not that you needed it or anything."

"I dunno… like you said, three against one isn't exactly fair is it?"

Believe me, I _knew_ she didn't need help.

"Well either way, if I just sat there I probably would have ended up as a collateral so..." I replied bashfully.

We stood there for a few seconds of awkward silence before she spoke again.

"So… I'm Yang and this is my sister Ruby."

"Hi." Ruby said leaning around Yang.

"You're a good fighter," Yang continued, "I'll bet you've been taught at Beacon or something." Yang continued.

"Actually I'm due to start there after summer."

"No way! Me too! I guess I'll see you there."

"Yeah I guess."

I heard sirens in the distance and gathered the cops would arrive soon.

"Well I'd better get going," I said turning to leave, "Good to meet you Yang. Ruby."

"Wait," she said, "I'll need to know your name if we're going to meet up, right?"

I suppose she didn't really; spotting me isn't exactly hard with the helmet and everything – but still, I guess I was making friends. I pulled up my now tattered hood and looked over my shoulder.

"The name's Spectre," I replied.

With that, I walked down the way I came. I heard them both say 'Bye Spectre!' so I raised my hand in farewell, then disappeared into the darkness.

From there I simply made my way back to the hotel, keeping an eye out for cop cars as I went. Once I got back to my room, I meditated for a few hours and started recording this log, which I'm wrapping up… now. This is Spectre, signing off.

End recording.


	8. Chapter 6: Getting back to it

Personal Files, Codename: Spectre

Audio Log 161

'Getting back to it'

This is Spectre. It's been just over a month since I left the Blades on leave. I've decided that it's time to get back to work; and besides I'll need to get back to it at some point. I'm actually recording from my old room and I've already got an assignment due to start in a few days. It's situated in Forever Fall – but I'll get onto that later.

So I walked into the Crossed Swords pub, spotting a few familiar faces amongst the bar staff, but none of my friends were out there this time. I moved to the door in the back and thumbed the access code into the panel next to it. Upon entering the place was empty, all except for Lyone who was leaning against the wall, ready to welcome me. Should have figured he'd do that, I thought.

"Hello Spectre," he said out-stretching his arm.

"Good to see you Lyone," I replied taking my arm and locking it with his.

"It's been a while, has it not?"

"Yeah it has, friend. Have I missed much in my absence?"

"Nothing that we can't tell you together," he answered, releasing his grip and beckoning me to follow him.

"Speaking of which, where are the others?" I asked.

Lyone indicated to the boss' office:

"They have returned from an assignment about half an hour ago. I do not know any other details, but they did not seem very happy. They have been in there quite a while now…"

I nodded in understanding. I would have expected anyone else to ask about what I'd been up to all this time, but Lyone probably already knew. He always did. Then, to my surprise:

"I trust you spent your leave well?" he asked.

"I don't need to tell you, do I?" I asked back, slightly baffled.

"You do not, but in the absence of both you and your sister, things have gotten rather quiet. We all collectively decided that I should talk more… naturally, if you will – just to make conversation."

"Right, that makes sense."

"Indeed."

I don't think I would get used to that idea anytime soon, and as a result we sat in silence until the others emerged a few minutes later. Like Lyone said, Sickle and Neo came out of the office looking disappointed, but when they saw me, their faces lit up.

"Spec!"

Sickle pounced on me and bear-hugged me, much to everyone's surprise, mine included. If he had his blades out, he would have skewered me, though I'm sure that was better than having the oxygen robbed from your lungs like that. After a few painful seconds, he released me.

"Hi Sickle…" I panted, stooping down to collect myself.

Neo kindly waited before hugging me - hers was much gentler as well.

"Hey Neo," I replied.

She smiled. I felt a warm feeling of comfort that I hadn't felt in a long time. I'm back home, I thought.

"So, how are you? Where did you go? What did you do?" Sickle asked eagerly.

"I'm fine, thanks," I replied answering the first question.

"And?"

"Sickle," Lyone interjected, "Spectre has been here barely ten minutes. Don't you think he can answer your questions later?"

"Right. Sorry Spectre, it's just good to see you again, kiddo," Sickle said patting me on the shoulder.

Then Neo nudged him with her elbow.

"What?" Sickle asked.

Lyone caught her meaning straight away.

"I'll get the cake" he said moving out into the bar.

Then a light bulb pinged in Sickle's head.

"Oh right, yeah, you just wait here Spec, I'll be right back," he said rushing into storage.

After a moment I looked to Neo for a hint as to what was going on. She just winked at me and inclined her head towards the door to the bar. When I looked Lyone had indeed returned, cake in hand. It had seventeen candles on it. How could I forget? I thought. I suppose you may not have thought it, but over the course of my break, I had forgotten my own birthday. The thing with having a sister is that I always remember her birthday, which in my case was also my own. I guess now that she's gone, the memory of my date of birth went with her.

Sickle soon emerged from the storage room with three presents, each in elaborate wrapping papers. The present in the weapon studded wrapping paper must have been from Sickle; the one with animals on must have been from Lyone, being a Faunus and all, and the one with white, pink and brown paper was from Neo. The presents and cake were placed on the table in front of me, and the group sung me happy birthday. I was due to blow out the candles – only I couldn't, not with my on helmet at least. With some help, the flames were extinguished and we moved on to the presents.

First came Sickle. Once I opened it he went straight into explaining what it was:

"Now, I got you some new chambers for your gun-swords. These new ones let you to hold more ammo, and enable full auto fire. Pretty cool eh?"

I'll admit it was pretty cool, useful too.

"I don't know how to fit them though, so you're on your own for that I'm afraid."

Luckily for him, I did know how to fit them, and I'd do it as soon as I got the chance to. Then it was Lyone's turn. Upon unwrapping the gift he said:

"I decided that an item to benefit your defence would help you greatly over your career, so I have given you supplementary armour to your shoulders and upper arms."

Looking into the box, it didn't really look like what he'd bought, so Lyone continued:

"The idea is simple; you add these couplers to your shoulders, then add these plates and they will become formidable, yet very light armour pieces."

As cool as it sounded, I felt sceptical. These 'plates' were barely big enough to eat the cake on, let alone help me in combat. That said, Lyone was too good to fall for bad products.

I suppose I didn't really need an explanation for Neo's present, which was just as well really. Inside the box was a hooded half cape, not unlike my own. This one was grey however and of much better quality. The cape was much bigger too, meaning I could cover an entire arm behind it. The hood also had a slight peak to it, keeping it out of my visor, but still shrouding it. It even had holes down the centre for the vents in my helmet.

"Wow," I said in awe, "This is great. All of it is great. Thanks guys."

The only one missing is Shadow… I thought.

They all smiled. Then a familiar voice drifted through the boss' door:

"Spectre," the boss said, "Can I have a word? Oh and can you bring in a slice of cake as well, please?"

I looked to my friends.

"Go on Spec, we'll see you in a minute," Sickle said.

I nodded and moved into the boss' office, closing the door behind me.

The same cold darkness greeted me as it usually did. I moved towards the desk, placing the slice of cake in front of the boss.

"How've you been Spectre?" he said grabbing the cake greedily.

"Good Sir," I replied.

"Good," he said shovelling his mouth with cake, "Anything to report?"

"I did run into Garrath and his men," I said.

"Ah yes we've all heard about that one, thanks for going to that concert by the way."

"No problem Sir. I also ran into Roman Torchwick…"

The boss put his cake down.

"Did you now? Tell me more."

"I was in Junior's club at the time; he seemed to be make some sort of transaction, I can't say what for though."

He scribbled in his notepad.

"I'll be sure to add that to the system," he added, "Anything else?"

"No Sir," I replied.

"Ok then…" he said, finishing off his notes and retrieving his cake, "Other than that, did you have a nice break?"

"Yes Sir, I'm good to get back in the action."

The boss swallowed the last of his cake before speaking again.

"I've got a few things to clear up with you first though," he said licking his fingers, "About a week ago, the client from Grimm's Respite showed up at our door."

This attracted my attention. I had mixed feelings for the guy, after all it was his mission that got my sister killed…

"He paid the first payment, just like you said," the boss continued, "but then had a _very_ large payment for you in particular."

"I see…" I replied.

"He also left this."

The boss placed a memory card on the desk. I hesitated before speaking.

"Did he say what's on this?" I asked, but I think I already knew the answer.

"He said that it's the original footage of the assignment; unedited, no censoring, nothing."

I looked at the card, not quite sure what to do.

"He also mentioned your names being credited, and that he feels the highest sympathies for your loss."

I stood there for a few moments, thinking about those comments, about the footage, and about Shadow… The boss remained silent, leaving me to my thoughts. I eventually took the memory card and put it in one of my pouches.

"Anything else Sir?" I added.

"Yes actually," the boss continued, "We currently have a job from a big customer. They asked for you specifically. I take it you know about that?"

The Schnee Dust Company, I thought.

"Yes I do, Sir" I replied, "Can I know the details?"

He cleared his throat.

"This is a security assignment," the boss explained, "The client has a shipment being transported via train through Forever Fall. They believe that this train is to be hijacked and it's shipment stolen by a formidable criminal faction. Your job there is to make sure the shipment arrives at its destination by holding off any potential assailants. You are to report to their dust mine in Forever Fall by the following date. The head of security for the train will meet and brief you further on the situation. Any questions referring to the operation will be directed to him. That is all."

"I'd better get ready to go then," I said, "If I may?"

"Of course Spectre," the boss replied, "I'd suggest trying out your new equipment; were gonna need to impress here, it could mean big things for us."

No pressure then, I thought. I turned to leave.

"Spectre."

I stopped and looked back at him.

"Don't tell anyone this but I'm glad I'm sending you for this mission. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thank you Sir." And with that I left him to the bitter cold and the darkness he seemed to crave.

Under the boss' recommendation, I equipped my new gear, starting with improving my gun-swords. With the recovery and convergence gems it was an easy modification to make, so it didn't take too long. Next was the new armour. Getting the couplers into place on my upper arms was surprisingly easy; they just sort of blended into the sleeves, as if they'd always been there. Then I attached one of the plates to my left arm, just like Lyone had explained, and it folded out into a large yet incredibly light shoulder guard; it was probably intended to provide additional protection when facing an opponent side on. The right shoulder guard was much smaller, probably to not obstruct my cape. Speaking of which, that was what I applied last. The half cape was so big, that I had to move my right scabbard to my waist, but I had no problems with that. Nothing wrong with switching things up a bit, I thought.

I looked in the mirror and switched my helmet to combat mode. I was actually quite impressed with my new look, I think it's certainly something I can get used to. After an hour or so of preparation, I entered the main room to show the others the result of their good doings. None of them could utter a word when they first saw me; the looks on their faces said it all though. Lyone was the first to speak:

"I think you are in need of a new title."

"And what would you propose?" I asked.

"How about the _Grey Knight_?" he said.

"Hear hear!" Sickle cheered.

Neo smiled and nodded in agreement. The Grey Knight, eh? I guess that beats the Boy in Black, I thought.

"Sure, why not?" I replied.

They all smiled. Lyone then rose from his seat and picked up a drink.

"In that case," he said, "To the Grey Knight."

The others followed suit and continued chatting. I took that moment to sneak away and prepare for the upcoming assignment…

So this will probably be my last log until after my job for the SDC. Don't worry, I'll fill you guys in with the details later. You guys? Who am I kidding? I think the only one who will listen to these logs is me in few years' time; sometimes I swear these things are the only thing keeping me sane… But anyway, this is Spectre signing off.

End recording.


	9. Chapter 7: Into the fire

Personal Files, Codename: Spectre

Audio Log 162

'Into the fire'

Spectre reporting in. I have recently completed my latest assignment. The client is keeping me at their compound until tomorrow morning, which is when I report the results to them in person. I've been given minor clearance to the site, but other than that there isn't a whole lot to do here, so I'm recording this to pass a bit of time. Right, let's start from square one.

The morning after I re-joined the Blades, I took an airship to Forever Fall, my new gear in hand. From there I was picked up by a Bulldog from the Atlesian army, where I was flown to the Schnee Dust Mining Facility. I cannot share any geographical information about the site, as you'd expect. The flight itself was uneventful and the soldiers on board were less than talkative, probably because I was being called in to do _their_ job. Once landing I was greeted by the head of security for the site; he clearly had some experience under his belt, judging by the formalities and his age.

"Greetings, you must be Spectre", the man said shaking hands with me, "My name is Jonah Giles, I am the head of security here. Welcome to the Schnee Dust Company's Forever Fall mining branch."

"A pleasure" I replied.

He was very professional, I thought, most people would have questioned my apparel or hesitated at least. He seemed to take it as if this was just another day at the office, an admirable trait to have in his line of work.

We walked away from the landing pads and towards the cargo departures building. The main route of transferring cargo to and from the site was by rail, on trains twice the size of conventional ones. Each train car was the size of a good sized room; plus they used not one, but two sets of rails each.

"How much have you been briefed on the situation?" Giles asked.

"I'm aware that you could be expecting some hijackers on this next run, and you need me to make sure the cargo, and its crew, remain safe," I replied.

"Good," he said, "I don't have to tell you the basics. But there are some other things you should know."

He gestured to one of the train cars.

"Each cargo car features the finest in Atlesian security droids, this will either be a platoon of Knight-130 class robots or a Spider-droid. These assets can be used to assist you in your task, and will also form the backbone of the operation. You will be responsible for observing them and stepping in when necessary. Understood?"

"Understood," I responded.

"Excellent, now the train will leave in ten minutes, you'd better report to the security monitor before leaving."

He led me to a car near the front of the train.

"This is the control car, where all of the droids and security systems are monitored."

He opened the door to reveal a skinny younger man sat at a terminal. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden light that poured into the car. It looked like he didn't get out enough either.

"Knowles, this is Spectre. He will be assisting the security efforts for this journey."

Knowles looked at me and hesitated.

"Uh, hi Spectre," he said uneasily.

That's just the kind of response I expected, I thought, holding my hand up in greeting. I've never liked it when I intimidated people I wasn't going to fight, conversations with me were awkward enough without people thinking I'd kill them or something.

"Should you need anything regarding security, you should ask him," Giles cut in, looking at his watch, "The train will leave soon. Any other questions before you leave?"

"No Sir," I replied.

We shook hands one more time.

"In that case, good luck Spectre. Knowles."

I nodded my thanks, and he closed the door behind him, enveloping us into darkness until the red glow of the lighting kicked in.

I turned to Knowles who looked at me like a lost puppy.

"So…" I said looking around curiously.

"S-so…?" Knowles said, almost shaking.

Droplets of sweat were starting to appear on his forehead, and I could see he was breathing heavily. I'd come to the conclusion that I had to do something to calm him down or all of my support would be knocked out on the floor.

"What do all these do-hickies do?" I asked.

He looked puzzled now.

"I-I didn't think… Oh, Ok. Well this thing here is a…"

From this point I zoned out, nodded from time to time, said I understood... The only reason I asked was to get him into his comfort zone so he wasn't as nervous around me; if the board of the Schnee Dust Company felt that all the security that they had wasn't enough for the job, imagine how I would do alone.

Once Knowles had finished his tour of security control, he asked if I had any questions.

"Is there anything else I need for the task ahead?" I asked.

He hesitated, then started fishing through some of the drawers behind him. In his hand was a tactical data pad of sorts; it seemed to be worn on the wrist, and featured many input ports of various types.

"This is an advanced tac-pad," he said scaling the device to my left wrist, "With this I can grant you control over the defences, including camera feeds, orders for the droids and monitoring the status of the train. You can also communicate directly to this room for updates at my end."

He took the pad to his computer, probably to activate the necessary commands. A short siren sounded and the train jolted into motion. We're away, I thought to myself. Minutes passed by, and Knowles had finished with his handy work, handing the tac-pad to me.

"Now that should fit nicely to your left wrist," he said, "Oh and that's a pretty expensive bit of kit you've got there, so it would be great if you didn't lose it or something."

Like he said, the pad fitted like a glove. I scrolled through the functions available to me, making sure I knew where they were for when I needed them. I was actually impressed with the thing and decided that I wanted one for my birthday or something.

"This is pretty awesome," I said smiling beneath my helmet, "But if there isn't anything thing else to go over, I'll just sit in a corner over there, if you don't mind."

Knowles didn't look up from his screen:

"Sure thing, I'll keep an eye on the systems and tell you if anything crops up."

Satisfied, I picked out a comfy corner, sat down and began to meditate.

I'd say around an hour passed by before anything else interesting happened. Suddenly there was a *thud* coming from the roof. I opened my eyes and Knowles fell off of his chair, his comic floating gently to the floor. The noises moved down the car as if people were running on top of the train.

"I think we've got visitors," I said standing and moving to the door.

Knowles was sat on the floor, his head fixed to the roof, terrified. I grabbed him, and shook him.

"Listen," I said firmly, "It is your job, your duty, to make sure that these guys don't get a hold of the cargo that is stored here. It is also my job to do the same."

I dragged him to his feet.

"I cannot do this without your help, nor can you without mine," I continued, "So what you need to do now, is turn on the robots to surveillance mode, and give me a reading from the train's motion sensors. Ok?"

He swallowed and nodded quickly. I let go of him and he moved quickly to the terminal. Once I was comfortable that he was focused, I opened the door and made ready to Jump to the roof.

"Wait!" Knowles shouted over the noise of the wind.

I looked around at him.

"Take a squad of Knights with you, they'll meet you on the roof. I'll update you as you go. Good Luck!"

"You too," I replied.

Then I tapped my helmet into combat mode and disappeared onto the roof.

As soon as I hit the open air, I was almost blown off my feet; I had no choice but to crouch down to avoid the worst of the train's speed. The Knights were indeed there with me, just as Knowles said they would. There were ten in all; I tried to imagine just how many of those things there were on the train, and who or what could take them all down. After a status check on the tac-pad, I issued a follow order and we surged towards the back of the train.

"Spectre come in."

The tac-pad, it must be Knowles, I thought.

"I hear you Knowles," I replied.

"I can confirm that there are two targets; they've already engaged a platoon of Knights in the car just ahead of you and are gaining ground – fast."

"Affirm."

I soon discovered that Knowles' description was a bit of an understatement. Seconds after I reached the end of the specified car, the hijackers had burst through the door beneath me and were already hacking away the Knights stationed on the open car below. As I suspected they were with the White Fang, the grim mask worn by the red haired male gave that away. They struck very quickly and very precise, it was no wonder the SDC wanted a hand here.

After assessing the situation, I sent the Knights after the male whilst I dealt with the other hijacker. She was female with long black hair and a bow of the same colour. I moved in behind the robots, keeping my presence hidden until the last possible moment. I then drew _Grimm's Doom_ and fired a burst of dust rounds at the girl. Due to the motion of the train, most of the shots missed, but one hit her sword blade. She spun around in surprise, her amber feline eyes piercing through my visor. After a moment's hesitation, her sword folded down into some sort of recoil propelled chain scythe, and she hurled it my way. I darted to the side and caught the scythe with my left hand. The girl tried to pull her weapon loose, but I was stronger. I spun, using the momentum to pull the girl off her feet, and hurtling into my outstretched elbow. The blow hit her square in the ribs and she toppled to the floor with a groan.

Before I could do anything else, I was hit in the shoulder blades by huge projectile, sending toppling me off the train. If I hadn't Void Jumped then, I would be a nasty red stain on the landscape below.

I reappeared on the train with a rolling recovery, drawing _Doom_ and _Fall_ from their sheaths as I stood to face the red haired male. He looked at me in what seemed like mild puzzlement, aiming his sword's sheath at me.

So that's what hit me…, I thought.

He must have shot his sword at me from its sheath, and seeing what it did the first time, I didn't want it to happen again.

He fired again, but I Jumped closer to him emerging into a full sprint, my swords in an underhand grip to streamline myself. I Jumped again, skipping the last few metres between us and struck with a heavy downwards slash. He held his defence however, parrying the blow and all the others that I followed up with. Realising that this wasn't getting me anywhere, I Jumped to the door of the next train car for time to comprise a new strategy. By this time the girl had recovered, and had joined the standoff.

This could be tricky, I thought, two opponents is never easier than one, especially ones like these…

Then right on cue, Knowles' voice resonated from the tac-pad.

"Spectre, this is Knowles. There's a Spider Droid in the next car, you can have the activation codes if you want them."

"Do it," I replied, my eyes glued to my opponents.

I waited a few seconds for the codes to come through, then Void Jumped into the car behind me. Once inside, I knew my new 'friends' wouldn't be too far behind, so I hid behind a set of heavy duty crates. Not seconds later, the pair burst through the door, scanning the room before inspecting the cargo:

"Perfect. Move up to the next car," the male said eagerly, "I'll set the charges."

"What about the crew members?" the girl asked with concern.

The male chuckled.

"What about them?" he replied.

That was when I activated the Spider Droid. It crawled down the far wall and hit the floor with a heavy *clunk*.

"Adam," the girl said uneasily.

The male strafed into the open, dodging the Spider droid's cannon shots. The girl lunged forward, but the droid shrugged off the hit and knocked her flying to the ground. As it advanced, the male made rapid strikes against it, but it counter attacked by kicking him to the other end of the train car. Barely dodging another salvo of cannon shots, the male recovered and grabbed the girl before the droid crushed her under its massive leg.

"We need to get out of here!" the girl said returning to her feet.

By this point, the Spider Droid had recalibrated its targeting systems and morphed its four initial cannons into one huge calibre gun. It then fired, tearing a hole through what was the door to the forward cars. To my surprise, the White Fang agents were still in one piece, just blown back on to the open cars. The Spider Droid didn't let up though; it crawled through the gaping hole, after its prey. I followed but Jumped to the roof so I could observe the battle.

As the pair got to their feet, and the male demanded that he be bought more time. The girl did just that, making a series of harmless blows against the droid. As it charged its main gun once more, the girl ran back. When it fired, the male seemed to use his sword to absorb the beam's energy. Then once sheathing his sword, his hair and the markings on his robe started to glow. The Spider Droid leaped in for the kill. Before it hit even the ground, it had fallen to the agent's blade. One blow was all it took; it was a strike so powerful, that I swear the entire sky changed colour for a moment. The sheer power of the blow actually disintegrated the Spider Droid, with nothing to show any trace of it ever being there.

Now that the fight was over, I tried to spot the girl, who had alluded my attention until now. She was on the other car, looking sad, betrayed.

"Goodbye," she said drawing her sword and cutting the coupler between the cargo containers and the personnel cars. With a jolt, I felt my end of the train slow down, and all I did, all the other agent did, was watch her move off into the distance, until she became nothing more than a spec on the horizon.

"Spectre… in. I'm… ing the signal to… of the train."

Knowles. The transmission was riddled with static.

"Knowles, if you can hear me, the train's been decoupled. I'm with the cargo, but there's a hijacker on your side; I don't think she's hostile, but be careful. Spectre out."

The only business I had to deal with now was the agent on _my _side of the train, and he was definitely hostile. After jumping down from the roof, I soon found him prepping explosives in the car behind me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I said painting him with _Doom's_ laser sight.

He stepped away from his handy work, waiting a few moments before looking at me, hand on sword. He used his superior speed to dart forward, attempting a series of quick slashes. Seeing as he had already demonstrated his ability so use his sword as a projectile, I predicted he'd do that. I Void Jumped on the spot and parried his attacks with _Grimm's Fall_. Once I saw an opening, I swung a punch at his face, using _Doom's_ hand guard as a knuckle duster. My opponent recoiled back, sheathing his sword and taking a second to collect himself. Meanwhile I paced towards him, pressing the attack.

Upon moving into sword reach, he made a sideward slash, knocking my swords to the side and leaving me open to the kick that followed. I flew backwards, Jumping just before colliding with the wall behind me and I stumbled trying landing on the open car outside. The agent didn't let up; he rushed out of the train car, going for a killing blow. With the speed he was going, there was no way I could stand, or shoot him in time to stop him.

The only option open to me was to get behind him. I did just that, Jumping at the last second. Still on the floor, I went to a kneel and aimed both _Doom_ and _Fall_ at his back. When he slowed to find me, I fired. He staggered at the impacts, and froze in shock. I rose, my swords still pointed at my opponent, and moved to disarm him. As I got closer, he made one last swing. I countered by locking his blade with mine and ripping it from his hands. As i did so, I pulled him past me, turning to make one final slash across his back. He dropped to his knees, teetered, and with an exhale of breath, he fell on his front. The fight was now over.

I sheathed my weapons and switched my helmet out of combat mode, taking a few moments to catch my breath. While recovering the agent's sword and sheath, a trio of Atlesian Bulldogs hovered overhead. Then a familiar voice materialised from the tac-pad:

"Spectre. This is Jonah Giles, come in."

That was a voice I was glad to hear.

"I read you Giles, you're clear to land," I responded.

The train cars had slowed to a halt by this point, so the Bulldogs could land one at a time quite easily. Giles emerged from the first, along with four Atlesian soldiers positioned in a spearhead formation, with Giles at the tip.

"I've received word from Knowles," he continued, "He said that the cargo will need other means of transportation. Looks like he wasn't wrong."

He indicated for his men to start the work.

"Before you start loading the Bulldogs," I interjected, "the car behind me has been rigged to blow, so you might want to sort that out. Also I'd suggest getting medical attention to our new friend; I hit him pretty hard and he might have something to talk about in interrogation."

Giles rubbed the stubble on his chin, considering the idea. Finally, he nodded to the soldiers behind him and they moved to their positions; two went into the train car to disarm the bombs, the others moved to the agent, one inspecting his wounds and the other making sure he didn't pull anything.

"I'll be honest," Giles said, "I didn't think that this would go as well as it did – no offense of course."

Neither did I. It was true that the dust had been successfully protected from robbery, but for the whole thing to end like this…

Suddenly a flashback clouded my vision. I saw the train car burning and heard panic on radios. That was it, but it was all I needed.

"Something isn't right…"

Suddenly the car behind exploded into a heated inferno, shaking the whole train and knocking us to the ground. The shockwave nudged the Bulldog and it clipped its wing against the cliff side, having to pull out to recover. One of the two soldiers tending to the agent had been seriously wounded. Scrambling to my feet, I looked at the wreck of the first train car, and could tell that the two men inside had not survived.

Giles rose to his feet steadily and stepped in beside me.

"C'mon," he said, "Let's get on with this and get out of here."

After loading the remaining dust with no further incident, we sped off to the Schnee Company Headquarters in Atlas. There we dropped off the cargo, and handed over the agent into the custody of Atlesian Police Department. I had also been called to a highly confidential meeting with the company board to discuss the events of that day. Only now have I been allowed to relax. And sadly, that relaxation will end soon. I'm starting at Beacon soon too, which is something to look forward to at least. Other than that, not a whole lot has happened, so as per usual, this is Spectre, signing off.

End Recording.


	10. Chapter 8: New Beginnings

Personal Files, Codename: Spectre

Audio Log 163

'New Beginnings'

This is Spectre, signing in. It pains me to say this, but this maybe the last audio log I make for a while. As the title suggests, I have a fresh start ahead of me; tomorrow morning, I will board an airship to Beacon Academy, and take the first steps to becoming a hunter. Unfortunately I must take this journey alone, without Shadow…

I admit that I haven't put much thought into how I am going to deal with the whole scenario. But that's the beauty of it I suppose, to start again. To re-live those parts of life, the new opportunity and the thought of progress. Sadly my sister and I had been neglected that chance in the first place, so to us… it's like doing these things for the first time. That's why I am who I am. Because I don't remember, or maybe never even lived the first ten years of my life. It seems as if I have never been young, that I just skipped that stage of life… I suppose growing up in an adult world will do that to you…

Having never gone to full time education for long, I guess this is my chance to become a normal teenager. At least I'll see a few familiar faces. I've already met Yang, and Professor Ozpin will always welcome me to talk if I have any problems. All I have to do is be myself and see how things go.

The events that followed the train assignment are highly confidential, and I cannot explain much, but I have received a handsome payment from the Schnee Dust Company for my work. I will also be recommended for any further tasks assigned by them. At this point I have more money than I can count, and I may never have to work again. That's not my intension of course, but the option's there.

As to what I've been up to between now and the previous entry, it's not a whole lot. I finished packing a few days ago; I can't tell whether I'm looking forward to tomorrow or if I'm just anxious. I've tried meditating, to clear my head, maybe to see something to take my mind off of things. Things weren't too eventful, until I saw something not from the future, but from the past. I knew this because I was there.

Grimm's Respite.

I felt the chill of the blizzard tearing straight through me. I could smell spilled blood on my clothes. A muffled cry shouted an inaudible warning. Then I saw the beast. It swooped from the sky and landed on the far side of the tower. In its presence the air felt static and the atmosphere buzzed as it built up. Upon gazing at it, my head pounded and pulses of pain seared through my brain. Yet still I fought. As the beast roared, the vision faded.

I woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. I wasn't quite sure what just happened, but I didn't want to dwell on it. That was the first time I have ever seen a vision from the past. I don't know what it means, but I hope to find out some day.

Well that's about it. There's nothing else really worth recording and I should really think about getting some rest. It's going to be a long day in the morning. So, for perhaps the last time, this is Spectre, signing off.

End Recording.


End file.
